Product Reviews

Designer Pet Jewelry

Article Author: Dog Jewelry Review - A Merryvaluation by Angie McKaig

Oh, what fun it is to be a girl. Honestly, I don't know how boys stand it - being smelly all the time, all that stubble, the same five colors to choose from, but most of all... no sparklies. Oh sure - boys get jewelry. But unless you've got your own hiphop record label (or plan to some day), usually boys aren't so much for the bling.

Which is a shame. Because: look, sparklies! It's such a simple concept, even a mutt could understand it, much less a purebred piece of work like the princess. But hey. If the boys want to keep away from the sparklies, in the end that's a fine thing - because it means more for us.

And we do so love our sparklies, Merry and I.

It's one of the reasons we were so excited when we found out we'd be getting a chance to review the stunningly lovely sterling silver pet jewelry from The Lovepaw Co. Even though they don't sport rhinestones or diamonds, these deliciously lovely products just gleam with the kind of sparkly that both Merry and I can really get into, if you know what I mean.

What's more, the generous company went so far as to send us a HUGE package of jewelry to review, so that we could really get a feel for their entire line.

First up: the Zeus necklace with pendant (top photo). Solid silver sterling pendant, sterling silver necklace with ring clasp. I loved the links on this necklace - not your standard rings, these were small, perfectly round, and a little wider. Made for a very elegant feel and look. The size 14 - the same size for both necklaces - fit Merry perfectly, with just an extra inch or so of length so that the pendant hangs nicely.

And what a pendant it is. Solid, wonderfully heavy without being too much for a pet necklace and highly polished with a delicious gem at the center. In fact, the stone you see in the centre of the bone pendant is the cornerstone of Lovepaw's design - a good luck "evil eye" glass bead of Turkish origin and of Murano glass quality. Gorgeous blue - bringing to mind the deep turquoise waters of the sea - particularly around Greece, where the collection's designer hails from.

Second: the Aphrodite necklace (see?) is yet another style of sterling silver necklace - this time with a looser, larger round chain link for the necklace and a toggle clasp. I'm not as big a fan of the toggle as ring or lobster claw clasps for pet jewelry but this was undeniably lovely with a nice wide toggle to fit inside its ring. As with the Zeus, it was a perfect fit and featured a sterling silver pendant - this time heart shaped - with another stunning good luck glass bead in the center of the pendant.

In both cases - Zeus and Aphrodite - the company also sent along matching bracelets for me, the pug mom in question. You can see in the third photo that Merry's terrified I'm going to steal her necklace - but never fear, pug, for Mommy now has her own sparkly to match yours! Each bracelet was made from the same chain link as the necklace, but featured a slightly smaller-scale matching pendant so it didn't overwhelm the wrist.

Finally, the company also sent along two different dog charms suitable for wear on a plain necklace or to add to your pet's collar for walkies. The first (bottom photo) was the Apollo, with an opaque red good luck glass bead in the center surrounded by a silhouette of sterling silver in a bone shape. We really loved this - it was lightweight enough for even the smallest or most active pup, and the red glass bead was stunning. The company also sent along another charm - an opaque turqouise evil eye charm (the glass bead in this one is much larger, as it makes up nearly the entire pendant) - not shown. Both charms came with a sturdy sterling silver lobster clasp, suitable for most collar rings.

One of the things that really blew us away with this collection was the quality. You can feel it. It's in the touch, in the finishing, in the colors and styles and designs that the company has chosen to use. After reviewing pet jewelry for this long, you get to know quickly when you're looking at high quality goods, and these definitely fit the bill.

Four paws up - way up - for The Lovepaw Co.'s line of designer jewelry for dogs and their owners. Can't wait to see what they come up with next!

You can find out more about The Lovepaw Co. from their web site at www.lovepaw.com.